Don't waste time waiting for your advisor or muse to light a fire under you. Take control of yourself and your dissertation by following these tested recommendations:

 

6. DISCOVER YOUR BEST PROCESS.

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What works for your advisor or best friend might not work for you. Does drawing a mind map get your thoughts flowing? Have you tried free writing or outlining? Do you work better with music or silence? There is no one right way to write, as Helen Sword's investigation of prolific academic writers demonstrates.

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"Be yourself. Everyone else is almost taken." ~ Oscar Wilde

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7. DON'T SKIP THE REWARDS.

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Minimizing your achievements is false humility and will thwart your progress. It is not self-indulgent to give yourself a pat yourself on the back or accept one when you show up for what matters. Setting up a reward expectation inclines your mind to keep going when the going gets tough. Find 155 reward ideas, including free ones, here. Be sure to choose rewards that support rather than undermine your other goals, e.g., saving money or losing weight.

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"Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less often." ~ C.S. Lewis

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8. PROTECT YOUR TORTOISE.

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Write first; edit later. It seems our creative mind acts like a shy tortoise; it needs freedom to roam without the threat of imminent attack from a predatory mind poised to doubt, delete, and dismiss. Your writing creature will only emerge when you give it a safe space, says Monty Python's John Cleese.

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"It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly." ~ C. J. Cherryh

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9. EXPECT YOUR INNER CRITIC.

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Count on it to show up right when forward movement is possible. However, you have the power to keep the encounter brief. Here's how: (a) Meet it head on by jotting down its assertions, e.g., "This is total crap." (b) Next, disempower it by adding a preface, e.g., "I am having the thought that again that this is total crap." (3) Lastly, let go of the thought as you commit yourself to action, i.e., doing what is in your long-term best interest. Remember, your thoughts are not facts. While you cannot choose which ones arise, you do get to choose how to respond.

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"You don't have to believe everything you think." ~ Contemporary bumper sticker.

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10. REMEMBER: HABITS TRUMP WILLPOWER.

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Cultivate a sustainable routine. That will train your brain and others to accept that "if it is between 9 am and noon, Adam is writing and cannot be disturbed." Precommitment conserves critical mental energy needed to think and resist temptations. It also creates shared expectations with others that minimize conflicts and misunderstandings.

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"We are always developing habits. The real question is which ones." ~ Coach Gayle

 

In the end, it is up to you to choose to master this implicit doctoral curriculum. Don't expect your professors to impose it. That's not their job. If you sense that you would benefit from professional help as you cultivate your writing and self-management habits, don't hesitate to call a dissertation coach. That's what we are here for.

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DID YOU MISS THE FIRST FIVE INSIDER TIPS IN OUR LAST ISSUE? CLICK HERE TO READ.

 

FOR FURTHER INSPIRATION

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• Davis, Josh. Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done

• Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

• Sword, Helen. Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write.

• YouTube: Question of Practicing: Joy Boys Video (2 minutes) with a child's simple wisdom: What you practice, you will get good at.